Are You Writing from Your Spiritual Gift Mix?

Each of us have each been given a measure of grace (Romans 12:6). We are each part of the body of Christ, and as such, have a particular role to play in establishing the kingdom of God on earth. You may have identified your spiritual gifts in order to give you an idea of what that role is, but have you looked there for clues to the sound of your writing voice?

Every time you write, you have the opportunity to be intentional about communicating the love of God to another person. Your ability to write is a gift from the Lord. Take the time to discover how your writing style is influenced by the other spiritual gifts you have received.

3 Types of Spiritual Gifts

The spiritual gifts fall into three categories based on the three lists found in the New Testament. These gift lists are found in:

Ephesians 4:11,12

Romans 12:6–8

1 Corinthians 12:6–10

Each of these gifts have a unique purpose and focus.

The 5-fold Ministry Gifts

The gifts found in Ephesians 4 are often referred to as the vocation gifts, or the 5-fold ministry. The gifts listed here are:

apostle

prophet

evangelist

pastor

teacher

The purpose of these gifts is to train up or equip the saints in the work of the ministry. The 5-fold ministry gifts will determine the foundational tone your voice takes on.

The Motivation Gifts

The gifts found in Romans 12 are referred to as the motivation gifts. This name refers to the nature of these gifts as being intrinsic in nature. The gifts listed here are:

prophecy

service

teaching

exhortation

giving

leadership

mercy

The motivation gifts will help you to determine the emphasis that your voice will have. They will add passion to what you have to say.

The Celebration Gifts

The gifts found in 1 Corinthians 12 are called the celebration gifts. These gifts are given at a specific time for a specific purpose. There are nine of these gifts:

word of wisdom

word of knowledge

faith

healing

miracles

prophecy

discernment of spirits

tongues

interpretation of tongues

The celebration gifts can add fullness to your voice. Operating in the celebration gifts will also give you testimonies of God’s ability to touch other people’s lives in powerful manifestations of His presence.

Other Gifts?

C.Peter Wagner adds several more spiritual gifts to his Spiritual Gifts Inventory. Some examples include:

missionary

celibacy

voluntary poverty

intercession

Although these are not listed as spiritual gifts in the Bible, practicing these activities requires inspiration from the Lord. For the purpose of discovering your writing voice, I would classify these as motivation gifts.

How Does My Writing Voice Reflects These Spiritual Gifts?

Your writing voice will carry a distinct sound according to the individual and specific spiritual gift mix you have been given. Once you have determined what this gift mix is, you can be intentional in using it to further define you writing voice. I suggest these guidelines to help you to this.

The Sound of the 5-fold Ministry Gifts

The 5-fold ministry, or vocation gifts, help to frame the sound of your voice. I have briefly described this frame for each gift below:

Apostle – The gift of apostle is given to provide a governmental structure to the body of Christ. This gift is given to facilitate the leadership of the church. An apostolic voice will give direction and exhortation to the believer. An apostolic voice also seek to network believers and mobilize them to action.

Prophet – The gift of prophet is given to allow God to communicate directly with His people. This gift is given to bring insight to the body of Christ concerning what the Lord is doing now and what He wants to do in the future. A prophetic voice will be sharp and clear in its tone. A prophetic voice will tell the truth without apology.

Evangelist – The gift of evangelist is given to bring the good news of the gospel to the world. This gift is given to connect the unsaved person to the hope of the calling in Christ Jesus. The voice of the evangelist reaches into the soul of a person to him out. The voice of the evangelist rings out with the call for action with a deep desire to save those who are perishing in their ignorance of or resistance to the work of the Spirit in their lives.

Pastor – The gift of pastor is given to care for the members of the body of Christ, individually and in small groups. This gift brings comfort to those who are in need of it—all of us at some point. The voice of the pastor is calm and reassuring. The voice of a pastor is full of care and concern for the well being of others.

Teacher – The gift of teacher is given to release the knowledge of the Lord to the world. This gift is given to bring wisdom to bear on issues. The voice of a teacher can be didactic, but can also communicate with metaphor that contains deep meaning. The voice of a teacher desires that the questions of a believer are answered so that he or she can move forward toward reaching their destiny in Christ.

The Sound of the Motivation Gifts

The motivation gifts add color, tonal consistency, and individual character to the framework laid down by the 5-fold ministry gifts. These gifts allow for a great diversity of voices to be heard within the body of Christ. Each voice rings true to its calling, yet each voice supports the other in building up the body of Christ to administer the kingdom of heaven on earth.

The Sound of the Celebration Gifts

The words on the page can carry the anointing of these celebration gifts. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and the integrity of the author to recall the encounter with integrity, the Lord can release a miraculous work of His hand to the reader as he or she reads your work. Be open to how the Lord can use your writing to release these gifts to others. Pray for wisdom and insight that the Lord might communicate power and authority through your writing.

How Do I Discover My Spiritual Gift Mix?

This question is beyond the scope of this post, but I would like to recommend what I believe to be the best spiritual gifts inventory on the market. It was developed by C. Peter Wagner and you can find it here. If you would like to hear more about spiritual gifts, please leave a comment requesting more information. I can follow up on this post if there is interest in this topic.

About David Bedell

David is a freelance editor, writer, and coach. He takes delight in helping others craft and release their life message in order to advance the kingdom of God. His love for Jesus informs all that he does.

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